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The best web hosting service is the one that works for you – from the simplest WordPress blog or portfolio site to small business websites, e-commerce, and beyond. Media Temple provides reliable web hosting and 24/7 live support.

Register domain names with (mt) Media Temple.

Domain registration at (mt) Media Temple is easy. The first step is to brainstorm ideas for what you want your domain to be called. If you run a business, it’s a good idea to use the name of your business as the name of your domain. If you are building an online portfolio to showcase your work, try to register your own name, as that will be the easiest way for people to find your work. Remember, domain names are how people find your website, so they should be simple, direct, and memorable.

The next step is to search for the domain name you have chosen by using the domain search bar at the top of this page. This will ensure that your domain is available and hasn’t already been claimed by someone else.

If your domain is available, simply click the “Buy Domain” button and follow the instructions on your screen. We’ll take care of the rest. If your domain is not available, don’t worry. The domain search engine will give you lots of suggestions for alternatives that are available, based on the name you searched for. You can then choose an alternative, or continue refining your searches until you find the perfect domain name.

Why domain names are important.

Domains are the way people find you online. As such, domain names are critically important for most professionals and businesses. Choosing the right domain name can easily make the difference between your customers being able to find you on the web, or not.

The domain name you choose can also impact your ability to show up in search engines. SEO has quickly become a staple for Internet marketers, as many web surfers find websites via popular search engines like Google and Bing. Because the algorithms that popular search engines use are based on content relevancy to the terms that a person searched for, your domain name can have a significant impact on those results. For example, if you own the domain name palmtrees.com, and a person searches for the phrase “palm trees” on Google, you are more likely to appear in the Google search results than you would be if you owned the domain name trees.com. That’s because the latter domain name is less relevant to the searched term.

Domains can also be a way to establish trust and promote your brand on the web. If you own a brand that is already valued by your customers, then owning the domain name for that brand can make for higher conversion rates on your website. Conversely, owning a branded domain can also provide Internet marketing opportunities for your business.

The different types of domain extensions.

A domain extension is the required suffix of a domain, appearing after the period or “dot” (.) in a domain name. The most common type of domain extension is .com. Originally, it was intended that only websites which were commercial in nature would be given the .com extension. However, today the vast majority of websites use .com, whether they are commercial or not. The other original extension allocations were .net and .org. The .net extension was originally intended for networks, while .org was intended for non-profit organizations.

Today, there are many domain extensions that you can choose from when registering a domain name. The .com, .net, and .org extensions are still around, but becoming more and more difficult to register every day. That’s why many new webmasters opt for other extensions, typically known as Premium Domains.

Many Premium Domains are allocated for specific regions around the world. For example, .us is allocated for websites in the United States, and .ca is for Canadian websites. Although region specificity is the intended use for those domain extensions, it is not required. Many websites opt for Premium Domains as a unique way to brand their websites. For example, the website Delicious uses the United States extension (.us) to make the domain: www.delicio.us.

There are also some restricted domain extensions; including .gov, which is restricted for official government use only; and .edu, which is restricted for educational institutions.

Some other Premium Domains that are not region-specific include .info, .co, .biz, .name, and many more.